Convertible box-car.



H. W. CURRY.

CONVERTIBLE BOX GAR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. e, 191s.

Patented July 15, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

lliil'lililllilill l, WwwmH /vcmy/ Carry, By

ATTORNEYS H. W. GURRY.

CONVERTIBLE BOX GAR.

APPLICATION FILED 1113.5, 191s.

Patented July 15, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

OLUMBM LANMIIAPH C0., wASHlNn'rurg, D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT FETCE.

HARRY WILMER CURRY, OF HUDSON HEIGHTS, NEW JERSEY.

CONVERTIBLE BOX-CAR.

To all 'whom it may concern: ,m

Ee it known that I, HARRY W, CURRY, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Hudson Heights, in the county of Hudson and State of NewJersey, have invented a new and Improved Convertible Box-Car, oi whichthe following is a full, clear, and exactl description.

My invention has for its object to pro- 'ide a convertible box carhaving a hopper at its bottom, which is normally closed by a valvemember, the car having at each end of the hopper a movable floor member,there being means for raising the outer ends of i the movable floormember so that grain disposed on the movable floor member may bedirected to the hopper to empty the car. These movable floor membershave hinged portions, which may be raised to remove the grain, which mayfall between the tloor members and the sides of the car.

Another object of the invention is to provide floor members hinged atthe sides of the car at the doorways, and adapted to cover the hopperbetween the first floor members, the second tloor members being adaptedto be raised to close the lower portion of the doorways.

At the sides of the car there are slidably disposed door members forclosing the upper portions of the doorways, the door members beingadapted to engage and support the second-mentioned floor members inrertical position.

Still other objects of the invention will appear in the followingcomplete specification, in which the preferred form et the invention isdisclosed.

In the drawings similar characters oit reference indicate correspondingparts in all the views, in which- Figure 1 is a side sectional elevationof my car; Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2 2 ot' Fig. 1; Fig. 3is a cross sectional view of the car, with the parts in position topermit of the use of the car one of the kind known as box cars; Eig. 4lis a transverse sectional view of the same car, with the parts inposition, so that the car may be used like one of the hopper variety; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view showing the side ot' the car shown in Fig. loi" the drawings; Fig. G is an inverted plan view oit one of the tlccrmembers disposed at the ends of the hopper at the bottom of the car;Fig. 7

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led February 8, 1913.

Patented July 15, 1913.

Serial No. 746,983.

is a fragmentary sectional view showing the means for rotating thegearing for raising the floor members at the ends of the car; Eig. 8 isa plan view oil Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view of one of the floormembers disposed at the hinged doorway of the car; and Fig. 10 is asectional view on the line 10-10 oi' 9.

There has always been ditiiculty in using box cars for shipping grain,because the grain is apt to leak out of the doorways of the box car,which occasions great loss. Vhen the ordinary box car is used forshipping grain, it is necessary to nail boards against the inner sidesof the doorways to.` prevent the weight of the grain from forcing thedoors outward sutliciently tar to leave open spaces, through which grainmay leak out. Considerable time is required to nail the boards in place,and the cost of the beards which are usually broken and are notreturned, amounts to a large sum. The cars are also very often damagedin opening them to empty the grain. My car removes these ditiiculties,as it can be readily converted from a box car to a hopper car for use inshipping grain. Much time is required to unload cars now in use forshipping grain, and the unloading operation is also expensive. With mycar the grain may be quickly unloaded, and at coinparatively littleexpense.

By referring to the drawings it will be seen that a car 11 has a bottom12, which at the doorways 13 is constructed to form a hopper 1st, withan opening 15. it the bottom of the hopper 14, at each side ot theopening 1.3, there are secured bearing members 16, in which is journaleda valve 17, having an opening 18 therethrough. lt will be seen that whenthis valve member 17 disposed as shown in Fig. 1 ot' the drawings, itwill close the opening 15. but when it is rotated 90O the opening 1 8will be disposed to permitthe grain to ilow from the opening in thehopper let out thro-ugh the space 19 between the bearings 16. Disposedon the bottom 12 of the car, at each end of the hopper 14, there areguideways 20, on which are disposed the ribs 21 of the movable iloormembers 22. These movable floor members 22 have floor sections 23, attheir inner ends, the floor sections 23 being hinged to the floormembers 22 at the points These floor sections 23 normally rest on theribs 21 but may be held raised therefromby the pawls 23a which areadapted to engage the racks 23b on the floor sections 23. It willtherefore be seen that when the outer ends 25 of the floor members 22are raised, the grain disposed tliereo-n will flow to the hopper 14, andwhen the valve 17 is opened, through the valve, to empty the car. Whenall the grain from the top of the fioor inembers 22 has flowed to thehopper 14, the floor sections 23 may be raised relatively to the floormembers 22, and hoes or shovels may be extended between the bottom ofthe floor sections 23, and the bottom 12 of the car, to remove any grainwhich may have leaked to the bottom 12 of the car, between the floormembers 22, and the sides of the car.

At the ends of the car, adjacent the top 26, there are shafts 27, whichare journaled in brackets 28, these shafts 27 having drums 29, to andaround which are secured chains 30, these chains 30 being fastened tothe floor members 22, at their ends 25. It will therefore be seen thatthe shaft 27 may be rotated to raise the ends of the floor members 22,to empty the car.

Journaled in bearings 31 in the car, there are vertical shafts 32, whichare adapted to rotate the shafts 27, through the gearing 33. At the top26 of the car there are recesses 34, in which are disposed the angularterminals 35 of the vertical shafts 32. It will be seen that thevertical shafts may be rotated by means of wrenches, fitting theirterminals 35, for raising and lowering the ends 25 of the floor members22. These recesses 34 are normally closed by the lids 37.

Disposed longitudinally of the car, intermediate of its sides, and abovethe hopper bottom 14, there is a beam 39, which serves as a means forsupporting the free ends 40 of the floor members 41. These floor members41 are hinged to the car 11 at the points 42, at the bottom of thedoorways 13. The floor members 41 are large enough to form acontinuation of the floor from one of the floor members 22, and itssection 23, to the other floor member 22 with its section 23, so thatwhen these floor members 41 are disposed on the beam 39 the car willhave a flat bottom, extending fro-iii one end of the car to the other,which willeiiable it to be used as a box car. However, when it isdesired to use a car as a hopper car, these floor members 41 are raisedto vertical position, so that they will be disposed as shown in Fig. 4of the drawings, the floor members 41 having pockets 43 in which arepivoted hooks V44, these hooks 44 being adapted to engage the eyes 45,extending in the doorway 13, the floor members 41 being held inVvertical position by this means. Vhen the floor members 41 have beenraised, and have been secured in this manner, the

car may be filled with grain, up -to the top of the floor members'41,after which the door members 46 may be moved to the position shown inFigs. 4 and 5 of the drawings. Tliese door members 46 are mounted toslide in guideways 47 at the inner sides of the car, and are adapted tomove across the top of the doorway, so that the ends 4S of the doormembers 4G may be engaged by the guideways 49 to hold the door members46 in position at the doorway. These door members 46 are provided withdepending flanges 50, which engage the inner sides of the top of thefloor members 41, to assist in holding the floor members 41 in position,and to prevent leakage of the grain between the floor members 41 and thedoor members 46. The door members 4G are provided with windows 51, whichenable Ythe shippers to till the car 11 with grain above the top of thefloor members 41. Y

The valve member 17 has at its outer side a toothed wheel 52, which maybe engaged by a tooth 53y pivoted to a bracket 54, so that the valve 17may be opened as may be desired, and may be held in such position. Thevalve 17 also is provided with a spindle 55, having an opening, throughwhich may be disposed a pin 56, this pin also being disposed throughbrackets 57, one at each side of the toothed wheel 52, so that the pinwill hold the valve 17 in closed position, and will prevent anytampering with the valve. To the free end of the pin 56 there may besecured a seal 5S, so that at a glance trainmen may ascertain whetherthe valve has been tampered with.

It will be seen by referring to Fig. 6 of the drawings that the ribs 21,below the movable fioor members 22, may be held in position relativelyto each other by the braces 59.V

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. A car having a bottom with a hopper, there being an opening in thehopper, bearings in the hopper, one at each side of the opening, and avalve member jcurnaled in the bearings, for rotating onV a horizontalaxis for closing the opening in the hopper at the will of thetrainniaii.

2. A car having a bottom with a hopper, there being an opening in thehopper, bearings in the hopper, one at each side of the opening, a valvemember journaled in the bearings Vfor rotating in a horizontal axis toclose the hopper, teeth on the valve member for rotatingtherewith, and afinger having means for engaging the teeth for holding the valve memberin adjusted position relatively to the hopper.

3. A car havinfi a bodv. a movable Hoor member in the car and havingribs extending at one end, means for raising the other end of the floormember, a floor section hinged to the lirst end oi the floor membernormally resting on the ribs, and movable relatively to the body of thecar.

4t. A car having a body, a movable floor member in the car and havingribs extending at one end, means for raising the other end ot the floormember, a floor section movable relatively to the floor member, and thebody, and normally resting on the ribs.

A car having a bottom with an outlet, Yfloor members extending at eachend et the outlet, ribs on the iioor members extending in the directionof the outlet, iioor sections normally disposed on lthe ribs and movablerelatively to the floor members, and means tor raising the tloor membersat a distance from the floor sections.

G. l-r car, a movable floor member in the car and having ribs extendingat one end,

a shaft journaled in bearings in the car, a-

iiexible member secured to the i'loor member at its other end, andadapted to be wound on the shaft, means for rotating the shaft, and afloor section disposed at the iirst end of the floor member normallyresting on the ribs and movable relatively to the ribs and the bottom ofthe car.

7. A car having guideways, a movable floor member in the car and havingribs extending at one end for traveling in the guideways, a licorsection disposed at t-he said end of the iioor member, the iioor sectionbeing movable relatively to the floor member and the guideways, andbeing normally disposed on the ribs, and means ior raising the other endoit the iloor member.

S. A car having a bottom with an outlet, guideways disposed at each endot theoutlet, licor members disposed above the guideways, ribs on thetloor members extending in the direction of the outlet ior traveling` inthe guideways, iioor sections disposed on the ribs at the inner ends ofthe floor members, the floor sections being movable relatively to thefloor members, and the guideways, and means tor moving the outer endsoi' the iioor members.

9. A car having sides with doorways, and a bot-tom, which at thedoorways extends below the horizontal plane at the bottom of thedoorways, a beam in the car between the doorways, and extending abovethe bottom of the car, two tloor members, one hinged on a horizontalaxis at the bottom oit each doorway, the floor members being normallydisposed horizontally and resting on the beam, but being adapted to beraised to close the lower portion of the doorways, guideways at thesides of the car, and door members slidable in the guideways :torclosing the upper portions of the doorways.

10. A car having sides with doorways, and a bottom, which at thedoorways extends below the horizontal plane at the bottom oi thedoorways, a beam in the car between the doorways, and extending abovethe bottom of the car, two tloor members, one hinged on a horizontalaxis at the bottom of each doorway, the floor members being normallydisposed horizontally and resting on the beam, but being adapted to beraised to close the lower portion ot the doorway, gnideways at the sidesoi" the car, and door members slidable in the guideways for closing theupper portions ot the doorways, the door mem bers having flanges forengaging the floor members :tor holding them in. vertical position.

ll. A car having a doorway and a bottoni, which at the doorway extendsbelow the horizontal plan-e at the bottom oi' the doorway, a loor memberhinged on a horizontal axis at the bottom oi the doorway, and adapted tobe disposed horizontally, but which at the will of the trainman may beraised to a vertical position to close the lower portion of the doorway,a guideway on the car, at the side ot the doorway, and a door member tormoving in the guideway for closing the upper portion ot the doorway.

12. A car having a doorway, and a bottom which at the doorway extendsbelow the horizontal plane at the bottom of the door way, a tloor memberhinged on a horizontal axis at the bottom oi the doorway, and adapted tobe disposed horizontally, but which at the will of the trainman may beraised to a vertical position to close a portion of the doorway, meanstor supporting the floor member in horizontal position, a gnideway onthe car at one end of the firstmentioned tleor member, a second lloormember in the car, and having ribs extending in the general direction otthe iirst tloor member tor traveling in the guideways, a floor sectionat th-e inner end et the second iloor member, and movable relativelythere to, and normally disposed on the ribs, and means tor raising thecute end et the second floor member.

In testimony whereof have signed my name to this speciiication in thepresence oit two subscribing witnesses.

Witnesses SAM E. PAUL, Cime. F. MICHEL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, C.

